New Orleans—After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, Mandeville, La.-based jewelry designer and retailer Anne Dale partnered with Stuller to manufacture a pin that would serve as a symbol of the city’s recovery and a badge of courage for those enduring the hurricane’s wake.Since Dale began selling the “New Orleans Collection,” which includes the “I Know What It Means to Love New Orleans Badge” as well as earrings, rings and pendants, she has raised more than $175,000 in hurricane relief funds.
Now, Dale is partnering with Stuller once again. The Lafayette, La.-based jewelry supplier will produce Dale’s “Jeweler for a Cause” designs, a growing collection that raises money and awareness for a variety of non-profit causes.
Among the pieces featured in the collection is the “I Believe” self-esteem pendant. Retailing for $29.95, the pendant is inscribed with the words “I am loved,” promoting the message that everyone is beautiful just as they are.
So far, a portion of the proceeds from sales of the pendant have been donated to the Vascular Birthmark Foundation, a New York-based organization that connects families affected by birthmarks, vascular tumors and syndromes to medical professionals and programs that promote the acceptance of people living with such marks.
At the foundation’s annual conference held in November, Dale presented the group with a donation of $5,000.
At least six designs are currently in the works, and Dale’s goal with her recently established “Anne Dale Jeweler for a Cause Fund” is to raise money for non-profit groups throughout the United States and abroad. With Stuller’s help, she is well on her way. The partnership with the supplier allows Dale’s designs to be available to Stuller’s 40,000 jewelry accounts worldwide.